Abstract
Scientific knowledge is grounded in a particular epistemology and, owing to the requirements of that epistemology, possesses limitations. Some limitations are intrinsic, in the sense that they depend inherently on the nature of scientific knowledge; others are contingent, depending on the present state of knowledge, including technology. Understanding limitations facilitates scientific research because one can then recognize when one is confronted by a limitation, as opposed to simply being unable to solve a problem within the existing bounds of possibility. In the hope that the role of limiting factors can be brought more clearly into focus and discussed, we consider several sources of limitation as they apply to biological knowledge: mathematical complexity, experimental constraints, validation, knowledge discovery, and human intellectual capacity.
Keywords: Complexity, Gene regulatory networks, Epistemology, Experimental design, Genomics, Knowledge discovery, Modeling, Validation
Current Genomics
Title:On the Limitations of Biological Knowledge
Volume: 13 Issue: 7
Author(s): Edward R. Dougherty and Ilya Shmulevich
Affiliation:
Keywords: Complexity, Gene regulatory networks, Epistemology, Experimental design, Genomics, Knowledge discovery, Modeling, Validation
Abstract: Scientific knowledge is grounded in a particular epistemology and, owing to the requirements of that epistemology, possesses limitations. Some limitations are intrinsic, in the sense that they depend inherently on the nature of scientific knowledge; others are contingent, depending on the present state of knowledge, including technology. Understanding limitations facilitates scientific research because one can then recognize when one is confronted by a limitation, as opposed to simply being unable to solve a problem within the existing bounds of possibility. In the hope that the role of limiting factors can be brought more clearly into focus and discussed, we consider several sources of limitation as they apply to biological knowledge: mathematical complexity, experimental constraints, validation, knowledge discovery, and human intellectual capacity.
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Cite this article as:
R. Dougherty Edward and Shmulevich Ilya, On the Limitations of Biological Knowledge, Current Genomics 2012; 13 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920212803251445
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920212803251445 |
Print ISSN 1389-2029 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5488 |
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